After finishing her tea, Liora turned to Eldric and asked, "Hmm... won't you ask to practice magic spells? I still can't believe this trial is as simple as this."
Eldric laughed at her question before responding, "Practicing like Solara and Sylphine, perhaps not exactly, but you do need to learn and familiarize yourself with the magic of my elent."
"What do you an?" Liora inquired, puzzled.
"I'll simply ask you to ditate here for a while. You can simulate those practices in your mind—you've done sothing like that before, haven't you?" Eldric explained. Liora nodded with a smile, indicating she understood and agreed with his plan.
Eldric then added another piece of information: "every ancient beast has its own thods and goals for training, and even the entirety of their trial serves as a way to apply these thods and objectives. That's why each trial is unique."
Liora nodded thoughtfully, absorbing Eldric's words, before being startled by an unexpected question from him.
"Now, do you already know the essence of my trial?" Caught off guard, Liora furrowed her brow and tapped her fingers lightly against her teacup while thinking hard.
Finally, she answered, "Hmm... correct if I'm wrong, but this trial demands discipline and adherence to established instructions, right?"
Eldric bead, clearly pleased with her response. "Exactly, Liora. Your answer hits the mark perfectly!"
Liora smiled proudly but soon beca curious again, asking, "But doesn't that contradict what we've learned about creativity? Isn't creativity essential for creating magic spells too?"
Eldric chuckled softly before replying, "Why should they oppose each other? Can't both coexist and complent one another?"
Liora frowned slightly, silently asking for further clarification. Eldric continued, walking back to his seat and sitting down as he spoke. "Where do you think creativity and improvisation co from, Liora?" She shook her head, unsure.
"Creativity and improvisation arise because of foundational knowledge," Eldric explained. "And strong foundational knowledge exists because of discipline in applying pre-existing or docunted knowledge."
Still confused, Liora pressed on: "I still don't understand how foundational knowledge and creativity can work together."
Eldric paused to think before answering, "Hmm... let put it this way, Liora. Imagine foundational knowledge as the roots of a plant, and creativity as whatever grows from those roots."
Eldric adjusts his eyeglass and continued. "From those roots, you can choose whether creativity will beco a sturdy tree trunk—hard, large, or small—or perhaps softer stems that bend however you wish. Will it produce leaves and flowers, or not? Will it bear fruit? That's the creativity that can sprout from strong roots."
"Ahh, yes, that makes sense! I'm starting to get it," Liora said, her eyes sparkling with understanding.
Eldric went on, "So foundational knowledge and creativity support and complete each other. If the roots just stayed buried in the ground, they'd have little use. But when creativity grows from those roots, the plant becos incredibly useful."
Liora then sat down on the chair across from Eldric and, still curious, asked another question. "Okay, I understand all of that, but I'm curious—earlier, you said that strong foundational knowledge cos from discipline in applying pre-existing or docunted knowledge, right? So how did the first beings in the world acquire foundational knowledge?"
Eldric chuckled softly, picked up a book from the shelf, and returned to his seat to answer Liora's query. "Before creatures like humans, demons, dragons, orcs, and others existed, there were already creations in this world: the elents like air, water, earth, wood, and so on. Those are the first foundational principles or knowledge. Later, when beings were created, they used their creativity to process and utilize these basic elents."
Liora interrupted again, her curiosity deepening. "But, Eldric, how did those earliest beings know what earth was? Why didn't they call earth 'water,' or vice versa? How did they figure it out?"
Eldric burst into hearty laughter before responding. "That's an excellent question, Liora! And the answer is simple—soone inford them about everything. Soone told them what each elent was."
Liora frowned, still unsatisfied. Eldric continued, "The Creator, Liora. The one who inford them was the entity that created everything in the first place."
"You an God? The Lord of Light?" Liora pressed further, fully imrsed in the conversation.
"Hahaha, yes, you can call it whatever you wish—that's your right. But whatever na you give it, its existence is undeniable, Liora. God must exist."
Liora quipped with a playful tone, "I do believe in God, but still, there's sothing that tickles my mind—why does God have to exist at all?"
Eldric leaned forward, resting his arms on the table as he responded. "Imagine yourself standing in an endless line—for food, let's say. Would you ever get your food if the line had no end?"
Liora furrowed her brow, uncertain. Eldric helped clarify: "No, Liora. If the line has no end, you'll never receive your food. Now think carefully: if there's an entity at the front of the line distributing food, what happens? The person at the very front gets their food and leaves the line. Then the next person steps forward, receives their food, and exits. This cycle repeats until eventually, you're at the front and receive your food. Of course, once you've eaten, you leave the line so the person behind you can move forward and get their share. That's why the Creator must exist, Liora. God cannot *not exist*. If God didn't exist, neither I nor you would be here—nothing in the universe would exist."
"Ahh, I see," Liora exclaid, gently tapping the table in realization. "Your explanation makes perfect sense, Eldric!"
"Hahaha, I'm rely passing along what I learned from my Creator, Liora. Enough chatting for now. It's ti for you to ditate and explore the power you've just received." Eldric ended their conversation as he stood and gestured toward a corner where Liora could ditate
"Hahaha, okay, Eldric. I didn't realize we got so carried away talking! Now it's ti to integrate my foundational knowledge and creativity!" Liora replied enthusiastically.
"Exactly, young lady. Very well said!" Eldric responded, slightly surprised by Liora's witty remark.
Liora then settled into a corner of the room to begin ditating, guided and accompanied by Eldric nearby.
Just before beginning her ditation, Liora posed one final question to Eldric. "But, Eldric, what if there's a question like this: who created the Creator?"
Eldric exhaled deeply before responding. "God only creates, Liora. He was not created. He has always existed—everlasting, eternal. If God were not like that, we'd return to the endless line I ntioned earlier, aning none of us would exist. Enough now—begin your ditation. Don't you have limited ti?"
Liora was startled into realization, both by Eldric's explanation and by the awareness of her limited ti. With renewed motivation and deeper insight, she began her ditation. This ti, her process of learning and simulating practices in her mind flowed smoothly and much faster than ever before.
In front of the temple door, Elowen paced back and forth, visibly restless. Night was approaching, and the flickering light of a torch stationed in one corner cast her shadow against the walls, mirroring her unease.
She muttered to herself, "Will Liora only finish tomorrow? How many more days will she stay inside? Should I try breaking down this door? Do you think it would even open?" Her anxiety grew, and the idea she had entertained earlier kept echoing in her mind.
The urge to act on it beca stronger, and soon, she resolved to do just that.
Standing a few steps away from the temple door, she raised her hand, the voodoo doll floating above her palm, slowly spinning.
Just as she was about to unleash her spell, the temple door suddenly creaked open. Liora stepped out, smiling casually, her magic staff resting effortlessly in her grip. However, her relaxed deanor quickly shifted when she noticed Elowen's stance.
Raising her staff defensively, Liora asked cautiously, "Elowen, is that you? Why is your voodoo doll positioned for an attack like that?"
Startled, Elowen—still unaware that she was in an aggressive posture—stamred awkwardly, "N-no, it's nothing! I'm fine. I was just... practicing my heroic pose."
Liora frowned, unconvinced, but replied innocently, "I didn't know you were into things like that too. I thought you disliked anything flashy or over-the-top."
Elowen grew even more flustered, scrambling for an excuse. "I-I was just preparing myself, you know, staying ready in case it's ever needed soday."
Liora considered this with surprising seriousness and responded, "Hmm... there might be so wisdom in that. Should I start doing the sa?"
Elowen laughed nervously, replying, "M-maybe? It couldn't hurt, right?"
After a brief pause, Liora nodded. "Alright, maybe later. Right now, I'm utterly exhausted. Let's head down and rest, Elowen!"
"O-okay, sure! That's exactly what I was about to suggest," Elowen agreed hastily.
Together, they descended the spiral staircase, shared a dinner that had been prepared for them, and then retreated to their respective rooms to freshen up and rest. It was a well-deserved respite for both of them, considering the challenges that lay ahead.
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